Vital and Fragile
by NoPleaseStayHere
Summary: When Rey's drink gets spiked at a bar, Ben Solo gives her a safe place to stay for the evening. After she leaves, he finds he can't stop thinking about the mysterious girl he saved.
1. Chapter 1

This was the time of evening Ben Solo had come to loathe. He sat in the corner of a dark bar, nursing his second gin and tonic, lime on the side. The businessmen and women started to fade away and obnoxious party boys - pockets filled with their parent's money - and their girlfriends infiltrated, looking for anywhere not filled to capacity serving alcohol on a Saturday night.

He sighed and tipped his glass, watching as the ice cubes fell together, an ache growing between his eyes. He held his hand up, motioning towards the bartender for another drink.

This was part of his daily routine; he woke up at five in the morning and went for an hour-long run, went back to the penthouse to make breakfast and have a shower. He'd get to the office by seven, work, on average, for twelve hours, long after everyone else left. Then, he would head to Central Park West to DRK, the simplistic bar he was in now. He'd have a drink or two, sometimes a gin and tonic, sometimes a whiskey neat, depending on how the day went. On his way home, he'd stop for Hungarian or Lebanese or Thai, bring it back to his apartment to eat in front of his TV, before retiring to his bedroom to read in bed and pray he'd get at least a few hours of sleep before his alarm sounded.

The bartender rounded his table and set down the fresh gin and tonic, quickly turning on his heel as a swarm of new customers headed toward the bar. The lights, always dimmed to stay on brand, darkened further as the clock struck nine.

Ben ran his hand through his hair and leaned backward to stretch. He eyed the mundane patrons flooding the bar when he locked eyes with a brunette in a sleeveless black dress. She gave him a small smile before leaning in towards her date, who seemed to be whispering something in her ear.

Ben righted himself in his chair, cleared his throat and picked up two limes from the glass dish before him. He squeezed the juice out of both wedges and took a swig of his gin and tonic.

He tried not to pay attention as he watched the brunette smile politely at her date and presumably excuse herself as she made her way to the bathrooms.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling him out of his trance. It was Armitage Hux, his friend and colleague, reminding him it was Saturday night and that having a little fun never killed anyone. He smirked and looked around, part of him sure that Hux was going to sneak up behind him at any moment. He knew Ben's routine all too well.

But no, he reminded himself - Hux would be at home with his wife, Phas, and their newly adopted puppy, Tuso.

He noticed the brunette and her date clinking their glasses together. He busied himself by answering Hux. As he waited for a snarky reply, he checked his work email and took a long sip of his cocktail. He replied to several emails and deleted what he didn't need and to his surprise, he had wasted twenty minutes. He checked to see if Hux had replied before locking his phone and setting it down beside his drink.

He caught the eye of the bartender - who's name he really should know by now - and stood, placing a twenty underneath his nearly empty glass, and shrugged his suit jacket over his shoulders. He took one last glance around the sea of people and noticed the brunette and her date had moved further down the bar. She seemed to be leaning against him while simultaneously trying to push him away.

Ben's eyebrows furrowed when the man gripped the girl against him - a low growl escaped from somewhere inside. He pushed past groups of people as the brunette's date pulled her toward the exit. The patrons around them were moving out of their way, probably assuming she just had too much to drink. Ben knew they had only been there long enough to have one.

"Hey!" He barked.

The man didn't turn around, but Ben's long legs closed the distance between them in just a few strides. "What did you do to her?" He asked, his voice dripping with venom as he placed a hand against the man's shoulder.

"Get your hands off me, dude," The man spat as he shrugged off Ben's hand. "I didn't do anything, she's drunk. I'm just making sure she gets home alright."

The woman tripped over her feet as she tried to push against the man - she opened her mouth and furrowed her eyebrows. A quiet "No," slipped from her lips as she tried to stand on her own.

She closed her eyes and opened them quickly, trying to focus them.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked as he planted his palms on her shoulders, trying to stop her from swaying.

She shook her head.

"No, of course you're not okay."

"I came with her and I'm leaving with her, man, so if you'd kindly mind your own fucking business -" He brushed past Ben and put his arm on the small of the woman's back. "Come on, Rey."

Ben's hand jutted out before him, his long fingers wrapping around the man's neck. He pushed him backwards against the wall and whistled to get security's attention. "Take care of this before I do," Ben spat, sliding the man up the wall towards the ceiling, before letting him fall unceremoniously to the ground.

He found the girl - Rey? - leaning against the wall behind him, her eyes closed. "Can you hear me?" He murmured and squeezed her hand as she lost her balance. "Rey?" He asked, letting her lean against him. "Do you have a purse? Where do you live?" She groaned in response.

"Okay," He sighed. She was leaning all her weight against him, trying desperately to stay on her feet. "I'm going to help you, okay?" He brought an arm under legs and lifted her into his arms, her head nestled against his chest.

He left the bar, snow softly falling around them, and hailed the first cab he saw. He placed Rey gently in the back seat, closed the door, and got in the opposite side.

He told the driver his address, just a few blocks away, and smoothed the girls hair away from her face.

The driver looked in his rear view mirror, pointedly at Rey. "She's not going to throw up in here, is she?" He asked in a husky Brooklyn accent.

"Not if you get us home before she feels the need."

He felt the cab push forward and Rey moaned, her eyes opening but not focusing.

After several agonizingly long minutes, the cab pulled over in front of Ben's building. He shoved a twenty dollar bill through the window and scooped the girl into his arms once more.

"Everything okay, Mr. Solo?"

"Fine, thank you, Pio," Ben murmured as the doorman, clad in a golden-brown suit let him inside the building. He entered behind him, following Ben to the elevator.

"I've got it, Sir." Pio said politely before Ben could struggle to get a free hand. "Would you like me to accompany you to unlock your door?"

"I'm sure I'll manage." Ben gave him a tight smile as the elevator doors opened.

Pio nodded and retreated to the doorway as the elevator closed. "Thank you," Ben mumbled, but it was too late.

* * *

Ben had Rey securely tucked into his bed, a bowl on the floor next to her, in case she felt sick, along with a bottle of water. He paced around his living room for several minutes, unsure of what to do next.

He sat at his barely used kitchen table and started his laptop - first, he searched what could've possibly been slipped in the girls drink. Then, he searched side effects and what to do.

He sighed and checked his work email once again, before shutting down the laptop altogether. He realized he hadn't eaten since noon and got himself a protein bar and bottle of water from the kitchen.

As quietly as he could, he got a long, black throw blanket and two pillows from the guest bedroom, along with a pair of pyjama pants and a black tank top as to not disturb Rey. He set himself up in the corner of the corner of his bedroom, as far from the bed as he could get. He didn't want her to be afraid if she woke up in the night, but he didn't want to be too far away in case she got violently ill. He made his way to the bathroom to do his nightly ablutions before trying to settle into his makeshift bed for the night.

* * *

Rey woke up with a pounding headache, her mouth dry as a bone. She slid her legs out from under the covers and leaned forward, her hands cradling her face. She took a deep breath to try and calm her stomach and got up slowly to make her way to the bathroom.

She stumbled down the hallway and into the bathroom where she fumbled for the light switch - that wasn't there. She blinked, eyes focusing on her surroundings. Instead of the peeling, dark wallpaper she was used to, the bathroom was filled with crisp white tile.

 _Where the hell am I_? She thought, turning to find the light. She swiped at her blurry eyes, focusing on herself in the mirror - her hair was mostly out of the neat bun she styled the night before. Her mascara had crumbled off and smudged under her eyes, and she was still wearing the black dress she had picked out for her date last night.

 _Her date_. Was that who's apartment she was in? She tried to remember something from last night, but all that was coming to her was the beginning of the evening. She sighed and turned on the tap, rinsing her face with cold water.

She turned and left the bathroom, retracing her steps to the bedroom. Okay, she thought. She was in her apartment with her roommate, Finn, when her date picked her up. They had gone for dinner, then for drinks and then -

She heard keys in the lock. The front door opened, followed by the clatter of keys falling on the counter.

 _Fuck_. Panicked, Rey grabbed the first thing she could see to defend herself - a long, wooden ceremonial staff - and made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall, until she was face-to-face with, well, someone who was not her date from last night.

"Who are you?" She demanded, wielding the staff in front of her, pointing it toward the man as she back up into the living room.

He held a tray of coffee and a paper bag in front of him, his mouth hanging open just slightly. "Why don't you put that down and we can talk." He set the breakfast on the counter and took a tentative step forward.

"Where's Kent?" Rey questioned, jutting the staff forward while taking a step back.

"If you mean the scum you were with last night -" he took a breath. "Have a seat, I'll explain everything."

"Don't tell me what to do, just - what the hell is going on?" Rey stepped up on the couch. This man's stature was large and intimidating - she wanted her presence to be just as big, while maintaining her distance. She woke up in a strangers apartment with no recollection of the night before, after all.

Rey opened her mouth to speak again when a wave of nausea hit her. Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. She scrambled to get off the couch and dropped the staff unceremoniously to the ground.

She got to the bathroom as quickly as she could, lifted the toilet seat and emptied the contents of her stomach.

A few moments later, the man appeared behind her. He stood in the doorway, a set of men's pyjamas, a bottle of water and a sleeve of crackers in his arms. "I didn't want to put these on you last night," he started, gesturing to the pyjama pants. "I didn't want you to feel… violated." He almost swallowed the word. "You can sleep this off. I promise I will explain everything when you're more… mobile." He set the pyjamas over an empty towel rack, the water and the crackers on the sink.

Another wave of nausea rolled through Rey and she wretched again. She heard retreating footsteps and she sighed, placing her forehead on the cool tile of the floor. Her head was still pounding and jumping around in the living room had not helped matters.

"Rey?" A concerned voice asked. He came into the room this time and leaned down towards her. Her head snapped up from the ground, causing her to lean into the toilet bowl and gag.

He placed a cool face cloth against the back of her neck and stood. "I went back to DRK this morning and found your purse - it's on the kitchen table. I also got you a peppermint tea when you're ready for it. There's Advil on the bedside table. You're probably feeling pretty exhausted - go back to sleep and when you wake I'll fill you in and we'll get you home."

Rey brought the face cloth to her forehead. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ben Solo." He waited for her to say something but she just sat, staring. "Do you need help up?"

She breathed deeply. "I might." She pushed herself, grabbing onto the edge of a towel rack, when suddenly his hands were under her elbows, guiding her up.

"I think I could j-just call my friend, Finn, and -" she nearly tripped over her feet as she exited the bathroom.

"I'd really like to explain everything and I don't think you're of sound mind at the moment." Ben guided her into his bedroom and set her gently on the bed, checking the bowl to make sure it didn't need to be rinsed.

"Here, take these," he said as he took the Advil from the table and put them into her hand.

Rey stared at them until she noticed Advil printed on the pills. She accepted the water he held and swallowed, praying she would keep them down. The headache was one of the worst she'd ever had.

"I'll be in the living room if you need me," he murmured as Rey closed her eyes.

She meant to answer him, but all she could think of was sleep. She opened her eyes once more as he shut off the light and pulled the door closed behind him. The last thing she registered was the makeshift bed in the corner of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

When Rey opened her eyes, the room was dark. It took her a moment to remember she was in a stranger's bed. She looked around the room and realized he - _Ben_ \- must've cleaned up while she was sleeping.

She still had a dull ache behind her eyes, her mouth felt horrible and she still felt, well, _off._ But, she felt better than she had this morning. She noticed the water next to her bed and took a short, careful sip, not trusting her stomach yet.

She heard the familiar laugh-track of the television coming softly through the open doorway.

She padded lightly through the hallway, clutching her water bottle tightly as she made her way to the living room.

Ben was reclined in the middle of his couch, legs straight in front of him. There was a smirk on his lips as he watched the show in front of him.

"What time is it?"

"Rey. I didn't hear you get up." He brought his legs to the floor as he leaned for the remote, pressing the mute button. "It's almost six in the evening. You slept for about nine hours."

"What are you watching?" Rey came closer, sitting at the opposite end of the couch. "You don't seem like a _Friends_ kind of guy."

"No? What kind of guy do I seem like?"

Rey looked down at her hands. She took a sip of water and shrugged. She stared at his face; a faded scar ran down his cheek, the tip of it peeking out from above his eyebrow. He had bruise like coloring under both his eyes; he looked tired. "Did I come home with you or something?"

"What?" Bens eyebrows furrowed. "No." He sighed. "Look, what I'm going to tell you will probably be very upsetting."

"Okay," Rey enunciated each letter.

"Well," Ben stood and walked toward the kitchen. Through the open concept, Rey watched as he opened the refrigerator and took out a mug, then turned and put it in the microwave. "How well do you know the man you were with last night?"

"Uh," Rey closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. "Can I have some more Advil?"

He opened a cupboard and took a bottle out, just as the microwave beeped. He made his way back into the living room and sat an arm's length away from Rey, putting the Advil and mug down in front of her. "The peppermint tea from this morning," He clarified.

"Thank you." She picked the bottle up from in front of her. "Kent was a regular at the coffee shop I worked at. When he heard the store was permanently closing, he asked me to go on a date with him."

"So what did you do last night?" Ben asked as Rey shook two Advil into her palm.

"He took me to dinner and then we went to DRK. Why? What happened?" Rey swallowed the Advil, her mood worsening with every second.

"I saw you come in with him and… you only had one drink with him. You were barely there for half an hour. He was trying to leave with you and you could barely stand - I think he put something in your drink when you went to the washroom."

"Oh my God. That - Oh my - that _prick_." Rey stood, forgetting about the tea.

"What?"

"That piece of _shit_! Who does he think he is?! What kind of-of monster…"

"Rey -"

"Do you know what I'm going to do to if I see him again? I-" Rey made her way toward the kitchen and picked up the clutch she had brought on her date last night. "I have to do something. I have to go."

"Are you okay? Do you want me to go with you?"

Rey shook her head. "I have to go," she repeated. She slid her shoes on and just like that, she was gone.

* * *

"Hey Sunshine. You got here just in time, the pizza should be here any minute." Finn called from his bedroom as he heard the door close.

"Ugh," Rey answered as she dropped her purse on the kitchen table, her cheeks red from the cold.

"What's the matter? I thought you were going to come in here and say Mr. Coffee Man had charmed the pants off of you." He paused for a moment. "Literally."

"Just you _wait_." Rey stripped her dress over her head as she made her way towards her shoe box-sized bedroom. She threw her dress down on the floor and opened her dresser drawer. "Do we have any wine?" She called towards Finn, who had made his way to the living room, as she slipped on a pair of oversize pajama bottoms and a white tank top.

"That bad, huh?" She could hear the fridge door open, followed by a cupboard. As she padded into the kitchen, Finn was filling two glasses with leftover rosé.

"Alright, spill."

"Well," Rey started, taking a sip of wine as she sat down on the mismatched plush chairs in their tiny living room, seemingly forgetting that she was sick hours earlier. "He picked me up, we went for Italian and then we went to a bar in Central Park West. He seemed nice - and then I woke up in a strangers apartment."

"Not Mr. Coffee Man's apartment?" Finn balked.

There was a knock at the door. Finn placed his wine glass on the makeshift coffee table in the center of the living room. He accepted the pizza boxes from the man at the door and thanked him, then trudged into the living room and set them down.

"You got _two_ pizzas?" Rey laughed.

"You _know_ I don't let your nasty green olives touch my pizza! Just be happy I was even thinking of you or you'd be sitting here watching me stuff a whole pizza in my face and you'd be S.O.L." He joked. He lifted the lid of the first box and held it out to Rey. "Yours."

Rey happily accepted a slice as Finn opened the lid of the second box.

"Whatever Mr. Pineapple and Pepperoni. Anyway! No, not Coffee Man's apartment. And that's not even the worst part. The stranger - Ben - told me Kent was trying to leave with me and I was barely conscious - that prick slipped something in my drink."

Finn turned his head slowly, gaping at her in disbelief. "What?"

"I know. It makes sense, though. I remember getting to the bar, he ordered us drinks and then the rest of the night is hazy at best."

"What if this mysterious stranger drugged you and then brought you home?" Finn asked through a mouthful of pizza.

Rey shook her head as she sipped her wine. "No. He slept on the floor, brought breakfast and I vaguely remember him threatening Kent. The more I think about it the more I can see him being total scum, anyway."

"I am so sorry, Peanut. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I mean… yeah. Nothing happened."

"But it could've."

"But it didn't." Rey said defensively, taking a big bite of pizza.

"So, how did you thank the man who saved you?"

"Saved me?" Rey scoffed, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm not a damsel in distress, Finn, you know that. You know me."

"You may not be a damsel in distress, babe, but you are, in fact, a damsel and you were in distress that night. And he helped you. Ain't no shame in that."

Rey nodded. "You're right, I know," she sighed.

"So…" Finn grabbed another slice of pizza. "How'd you thank him?"

Rey swallowed and picked up her wine glass. She cast her eyes down at her lap. "I didn't."

* * *

Ben woke up at five o'clock on Monday morning. He went for his usual hour long run and got back to his apartment by 6:05. He made a three-egg omelet - one of the only things he could successfully cook - and picked up a tray of coffee on his way to the office.

"Good morning, Mr. Solo," His receptionist smiled.

Ben nodded. "Dormé."

He entered his office and put his and Hux's coffee on his desk. He knew that Hux wouldn't be here for another fifteen minutes, so he busied himself with paperwork.

"You brought coffee?" Hux balked as he entered Ben's office. "You never bring coffee to the office."

Ben put his pen down. "What can I say, I needed a pick me up this morning."

"Did you forward me the list of topics for this morning's meeting?" Hux raises an eyebrow as he took a sip from the tall paper cup Ben handed him.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I did this weekend?"

Hux scoffed. "Benji, you do the same thing every weekend. You do the same thing every _day_."

"Don't call me that." Ben snapped.

"Alright, tell me what you did this weekend before that vein in your forehead explodes," Hux smirked.

"I was at DRK on Saturday night -"

"The same as every night."

Ben shot him a look before continuing. "And this girl was in there with a date -"

"And you were watching them?"

Ben sighed. "I noticed when they were leaving that she could barely stand -"

"She was probably loaded."

"Hux, you cut me off one more time I swear to God."

Hux chuckled.

"She wasn't loaded. They just got there. So, I went to see what was up - the guy had drugged her drink, Hux."

"Jesus." Hux took a long sip of his coffee and took a seat in one of the leather chairs in Ben's office. "Good thing you're a creep."

Ben perched on his desk. "Anyway, I get her home and -"

"You took a drugged girl _home_? What is wrong with you, Benji?" Hux stood and paced the room.

"What was I supposed to do with her, Hux, leave her there? Let the guy who drugged her take her home?"

"Gee, I don't know, you could've taken her to the hospital? Called the police? You do know who you are, don't you? Did anybody see you?"

"Just my doorman. It's not like I'm a celebrity, Hux, you're blowing this out of proportion. I made sure that - that _fuck_ didn't hurt her and I gave her a safe place to stay. She left yesterday evening."

"You're part of New York's elite. No more extracurriculars for you, Ben. Stick to your regularly scheduled programming, okay?"

Ben sneered at him. "The meeting is in half an hour. Go, check out the game plan."

"I mean it. No more being a hero." Hux said as he left Ben's office.

* * *

Ben lingered outside DRK for a moment before sighing and opening the heavy door. The lights were dimmed, as usual, and his regular table was empty.

The same bartender who had been working on Saturday night came to his table moments after Ben sat down. He unwound a long red scarf from his next and hung it on the peg above him.

"Sir," the bartender greeted.

Ben nodded. "A gin and tonic, please, a few lime wedges on the side."

"Right away, sir."

He busied himself by checking emails - personal and business - until his drink arrived. He sighed as he picked two limes from their dish. His stomach rumbled.

"I was hoping I'd find you here," a voice called from behind him. He turned in his seat, drink in hand, to find Rey.

Ben sat up a little straighter. "Rey."

"Can I sit?" She gestured to the other side of the table.

"Of course. I didn't think I'd see you again… so soon." He added.

Rey took a seat and a moment later, the bartender was at their table. "Can I get you something to drink, Miss?"

"I'm fine with a glass of water, thanks."

He nodded.

"Thank you," Rey smiled bashfully at Ben. "Thank you for the other night." She took a piece of paper out of the small purse hung over her shoulder. "I'd like to invite you for dinner at my apartment tomorrow night as a… token of my appreciation. This has my address and phone number."

Ben accepted the piece of paper, folded it, and stuck it in the pocket of his suit jacket. "Rey, you really don't have to - any decent person would've done the same thing." He took a sip of his gin and tonic.

"But they didn't. There were so many people here and you were the one who - who helped me." Rey's stomach rumbled loudly just as she finished speaking. Her face turned red.

Ben put a twenty down on the table. "I know the best place to get latkes."

"I was going to have leftover -"

"Best latkes in the world. My treat." He grabbed his red scarf from the hook and wrapped it around his neck and stood.

"Okay, sure," Rey agreed and her stomach rumbled once more. She pulled her sweater tightly around her shoulders.

They walked out of DRK side by side. The wind howled and the snow blew around them. Rey started to shake; her sweater kept none of the cold air out and it sunk into her bones.

She felt a heavy weight around her shoulders as she was cocooned in a dark coat. She looked up at Ben, who was shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. "You were shivering."

"Why do you have two coats?"

Ben laughed. "This is my suit jacket. And that -" He motioned to Rey. "Is my pea coat."

Rey could swim in the amount of fabric that was around her. She wrapped arms around herself. "Thank you. I didn't realize it was supposed to be so cold tonight."

"Of course." The snow was falling around them, dancing in the lights of the streets. "Oh, it's right down here," he murmured and put a hand on Rey's back to steer her.

He quickly dropped his hand as they entered United Bakers. There were a few empty tables and they sat across from one another.

"I'm bloody frozen," Rey rubbed her hands together as she shrunk into the oversized coat.

Ben chuckled. "I love your accent. Where in England are you from?"

Rey pressed her lips together. "I don't know."

A smile played on Ben's lips for just a moment before he realized she was serious. "You don't know?"

"I moved to upstate New York with my parents when I was seven. They died in an accident when I was eight. I had no other family here and they seemed to have a hard time finding anyone in England. When my parents moved, they didn't bring many belongings with them, so I don't know much about my background." She said the words without any hint of emotion, as if she were reciting the the list of ingredients from a cereal box.

"Rey, I'm so -"

"It's fine." She cut him off. "You can't miss people you don't remember."

"What can I get for you?" The waitress interrupted, her bubble gum smacking loudly as she smiled at Ben.

"Whatever you usually get - I'm up for trying new things."

"You want me to order for you?"

"Yeah, I've never had - go ahead." She trailed off.

"Two matzo ball soups to start, an order of latkes, knish, falafel and hummus and a side order of pickles, please."

"Anything to drink?"

"I'll have a coffee, please." Rey smiled.

"Make that two."

The waitress nodded and left their table.

"So when did you move to the city?" Ben asked as he unwound the scarf from his neck.

"About four years ago with my best mate Finn. We live together. How long have you lived here?"

The waitress came back with their coffees and a bowl of cream. "Sugars on the table - your food will be out in a minute." She snapped her gum as she walked away.

"I went to NYU and stayed after that. I grew up in Pennsylvania."

Rey nestled into the warmth of the pea coat as she reached for the sugar.

* * *

"That was amazing," Rey sighed as she swiped the last pickle off the plate. "You may have created a monster."

"It's pretty addicting," Ben smiled as he dropped a few twenties into the black leather folder sitting on the table. His phone vibrated loudly against the table top. He shoved it in his pocket as he stood. "Let's get you a cab."

Rey thought of her last twenty dollar bill, tucked inside her jeans. There was a bright yellow cab idling outside of the restaurant.

"Don't forget about tomorrow, okay? I'll text you a time. Thank you for… for Saturday. And for dinner. I owe you two meals now." She smiled as she ducked inside the cab.

Ben nodded. "My pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rey was half way home before she realized she was still bundled in Ben's coat.


End file.
